Security gates are commonly used to lock or close passageways such as conventional doorways and entrances to stairwells. The purpose of such gates is primarily security, such as keeping small children from accessing stairwells that could present a hazard, and also confinement, such as confining a pet to a particular room during the night. Many types of child and pet security gates are available on the market today that range from the accordion style gates formed from lattice-connected wood slats to lightweight plastic injected molded gates that permit adjustment to width and closure.
A typical security gate is formed from one or more panels, each panel including a frame surrounding a mesh or other similar lattice structure formed therebetween. The mesh is typically used so that one can see through the gate when the gate is in place.
Typically, each panel is manually positioned between two stationary elements, such as a door jamb. The security gate is then locked in place by a locking mechanism. However, some locking mechanisms only provide a selection of discrete gate positions in which the gate may be locked. The discrete positions provided may not permit the gate to fit tightly within the stationary objects. Furthermore, once the gate is unlocked and the gate is removed from between the stationary objects, the position of the panels is changed. To re insert the gate between the stationary objects, the panels need to be manually positioned again.